Kowloon Walled City Park

Hare - Freewheel

Hashers - Dogshit, Gobi Lo, Snatch Catcher, Octopussy, Gorf, Pole Dancer, Blow My Tits, Indyanus, Foot Fetish, Thermal Dick, Castrato, Junko, Screwtop, Luisa, Hopeless, Poon Tang, Macau Drunk, Wai Chee Kok, Wincy

Write-up - Indyanus

Having never run around the environs of Sung Wong Toi MTR, I did not know what to expect from Freewheel's run?... but I had looked up to check on any previous run/s from there! And Yes, the first LSW run from that area of that 'new' MTR was ironically the last LSW run set by Tightlips before her bon voyage to Bonny Scotland... along with cohare, Hicky Long Stocking, on 22nd June this year! The run report by CUTR was fun to read with one of the themes being 'plane spotting '... !!

As CUTR wrote... 'The departure out of Kowloon Walled City Park featured an exploration of the many scenic parks that make up the areas of Na Tsin Wai, Wong Tai Sin, Wong Tau Hong and Lok Fu. These are the same areas that were once favoured grounds for plane spotters that would idle weekends away watching Boeing 747s navigate the dangerous approach to Kai Tak.'

So 'the good old days of plane spotting'... ? And now ?? Is there anywhere in today's HK where you won't need to pack a big picnic and a few bottles of Prosecco etc whilst waiting to 'plane spot'...

With that in mind, I looked forward to discovering what Freewheel had in store for us... ...

I arrived early at the picturesque park so as to do the run without 'running blind'... so to speak!! Doing a Bridgette Jones 'all by myself' off I went... out the park... ...cross the road. At the first check I went in 3 directions... the joys of hashing by yourself!... finally found trail and the split so took the wimps option up the slope which hey!! I recognised... and then knew where the hare was leading !! Fantastic !!! Up to the distinctive Red and White Checkerboard !! Yippee !! So exciting... such an iconic part of HK aviation history !!!

My first hash introduction to this unique spot was set by none other than our LSW pilot... Lost in Space, with long-standing cohare, Octopussy, in 2019. Lost in Space told me that he had been asked back then about that iconic HK aviation site... so he wanted to set a run from Lok Fu taking in the checkerboard to allow others to see this treasured part of HK aviation history for themselves. In 2019, the paint on the vast rock face was faded but nonetheless,still there, although veiled by overgrown trees and shrubs, as it has not been used by pilots doing the challenging landing in HK since 6 July 1998 when Kai Tak airport closed... with the famous words... 'Good Night HK... and Thank You'!

Back to Freewheel's run... he had set back checks along every one of the ledges in front of the checkerboard, so being on my own I got to run along all the ledges and I was rewarded with closer and closer vertical / horizontal views (and loads of pictures!!) of the huge red and white heritage !! As it had been painted since my last visit... it was even more eye- catching !

To find out why the checkerboard is so famously unique and was so challenging for pilots flying into the old Kai Tak airport, check out the links below where there are also really fab pictures to be seen of those days too!! On the second link keep scrolling through for impressive pics... comments below in that link are also worth reading if interested! (And apologies if you get laden with adverts before getting to the videos... my tech skills are not good enough to remove them!)

Links here and here

So after my nostalgic 'tour' of the checkerboard, it was up more steps to the area above with great views of Kowloon... then onto the somewhat shiggy section leading down to the next W/R split... Again taking the wimps trail, from there it was to follow trail past an interesting shrinish area down onto the road and trail back to 'A', where there were hashers just heading out and yeh! Castrato was also there who appeared at the hash to bid a brief 'Bon Voyage' before heading back to Blighty that night...

Thanks Freewheel for a most enjoyable run and a visit down memory Lane...

DD's by Indy

The hare - Freewheel... what did you all think of the run ?... and the crowd went wild with adulation !!

Octopussy - for having set a run around the Checkerboard in 2019 with Lost In Space !

Blow My Tits / Screwtop / Pole Dancer / Macau Drunk / yours truly Indy, were on that run to the CB...

Octopussy - also set a run leading to the checkerboard in 2021 with the then virgin co-hares of Foot Fetish and Horny Buttstabber...

Foot Fetish - it was on that hash run that she and HBS 'earned' their hash names from being 'stung'

Freewheel / BMT - on that run

Luisa / Junko / Winci - have never been to the checkerboard before...

Thermal Dick - astonishingly for all his years in HK, hashing from 1992 had never hashed around the Checkerboard before... and did not see it on this run as was too busy looking for trail !!!!

TD - even more surprisingly... he did not even know this icon of HK aviation history existed !! Even though he had flown into Kai Tak airport numerous times from 1992... (unless maybe he swam here...?)

Winci - returnee to LSW! Welcome back!

Winci - did you enjoy the run... and the CB ? Yep thought it was so interesting... great to run there!!... at least she did see the checkerboard... ! ...

All the pilots ? - hmmm... unlike the 'good old days' of LSW hashes... there were none... let alone any who flew their planes into the old Kai Tak airport... !

Non Runner - Macau Drunk! Could not run due to continuing leg 'injury' but appeared at the run to farewell Castrato...

Junko - commented that she thought my water bottle at the bash contained... water!

Gorf - good to see you again! not seen for a while on LSW!

Gorf - your thoughts on tonight's run compared to your run next week?... 'too much shiggy'... 'too many mountains' etc... and as he said, so you know what to expect of his run the next week!

Freewheel - thanks for a fun nostalgic run also past HK's iconic aviation site!... and a learning curve for a few!! thanks for a great basho...

The hash song was sung by... the hare and those Checkerboard virgins !

5.56km